


Of Love and Death

by naberries



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: Attempted Suicide, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Dominant Hannibal, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hannibal Lecter is a Tease, Major Character Injury, Miscarriage, Multi, Murder, Murder Family, Murder Wife, Murder-Suicide, Near Death Experiences, PTSD, Pregnancy, Serial Cannibal, Serial Killer, Slow Burn, Smut, Someone Help Will Graham, corrupted rae valentine, hannibal is a dilf, mention of rape, rae valentine is too innocent for this, so much gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:01:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27056089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naberries/pseuds/naberries
Summary: "Do you think about killing him often?""I have dreams about it. Not nightmares, like you'd expect, but vivid replays, over and over again.""And how do those dreams make you feel?""...Like I want to do it again."After a series of murders take place in and around Virginia, Jack Crawford recruits CSI analyst Israel Valentine to help identify the killer. She suspects, along with the rest of the team, that the Chesapeake Ripper has made a return. What she doesn't suspect, however, is that the decision to finally see a therapist will get her closer to the Ripper than she could ever fathom.
Relationships: Alana Bloom/Margot Verger, Bedelia Du Maurier/Hannibal Lecter, Hannibal Lecter & Israel Valentine, Hannibal Lecter & Rae Valentine, Hannibal Lecter/Israel Valentine, Hannibal Lecter/Original Female Character(s), Hannibal Lecter/Rae Valentine
Kudos: 4





	Of Love and Death

**Author's Note:**

> I prematurely uploaded the first chapter before it was done because I'm stoop and hit the wrong button, but it should be fixed now. I'm not sure when I'll update, as it really depends on the amount of feedback I get. 
> 
> That being said, as always, all characters excluding my own belong to Bryan Fuller and Martha De Laurentiis and whoever else owns NBC Hannibal.

Every person, aware of it or not, has rituals that they follow every day. For some, it's simple things like brushing your teeth while you shower in the morning, before having your first sip of coffee. For others, they're more rigorous; exercise at precisely 6:30 PM, take your first sip of coffee right after brushing your teeth and then complain about it for the next half hour, shower at 8 in the morning and not a minute after, lest you be late for the job you hate at 9:30. 

Israel's daily rituals were not unlike these. After meditating for 15 minutes in the morning and eating a balanced breakfast of iced coffee, sautéed mushrooms and antidepressants, she takes the second-shortest route to the BAU in order to avoid the rancid skunk cabbage near the freeway. She parks in the best spot, which just so happens to be Zeller's favorite, and starts another ritual. 

* * *

"How is it," Brian started, "that I live closer to work than you, leave earlier than you, and still you manage to get here before me half the time?"

Israel snickered and popped open her travel mug. "Buy me a coffee and I'll tell you my ways." She clicked through Freddie Lounds' god-awful site again, scouring the photos for any shrapnel of evidence that maybe, _just maybe_ they had missed the first time around. But, nothing. This was the frustrating part of her job. The gore, mystery, and science she could handle. Quite well, in fact. It was the stagnant periods between findings that drove Israel to the brink of madness. The endless hours of picking through the same people over and over _just in case_ , the eyestrain of staring at horribly-contrasting colors on an outdated computer screen, it was almost too much for one person to handle, just like the salary was _almost_ worth it. 

"Good morning, Aussie and Asshole." Israel looked up toward the doorway and locked eyes with a smirking Beverly. "I didn't expect to see you both here this early, did I miss something?"

"Only Aussie beating me to my parking spot again," Brian replied, "nothing new."

"I feel like at this point it's not your parking spot anymore, it's Rae's."

"Watch it, Katz, or I'll take yours next-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Israel interjected, holding out her hands. The two paused their bickering to look at her, confused. "Are we all going to ignore that Brian agreed his title is Asshole?"

"I thought that was obvious when I addressed you as Aussie, _Aussie._ " He raised his bushy eyebrows at her. 

"I see. While you're not wrong, I would have just called you a cun..." She trailed off at the sight of three men entering the lab, two dressed like government officials and Will looking...well...like Will. They spoke in hushed, almost secretive tones just out of earshot. Pretending to look back and forth between a data sheet and her computer, Israel keyed into the quiet conversation, picking up key terms and phrases like _psychoanalysis, copycat,_ and _Doctor Lecter_ , but little else that could provide even a grain of context. 

The trio--now a group of four, as Price had entered the room a few moments prior--looked up at the three men when Jack Crawford began to speak. 

"We received report of a body in a field in Hibbing, Minnesota," he said, glancing at each analyst. 

Beverly spoke up, "What's so important about this one?"

Jack gave her a pointed look. "You'd know sooner if you stopped interrupting me."

She quickly shut up.

"Now," he continued, "we don't know much about it other than that it's not your typical body-in-a-field. At this point, we're suspecting the Minnesota Shrike has something to do with this, but we can't be sure until we get to the scene. Be there in two hours or you're all fired. Rae," Jack turned to the woman, "come with me for a minute."

Zeller _ooh_ -ed like they were in elementary school, and she flicked him off behind her back before following Jack down the hallway. Will and the other unfamiliar man stayed close behind, but apart from each other. Israel could feel Will bristling even through the two meters of space between them. Something about the third man's presence set him off more than she'd ever seen before, and she didn't blame him for feeling that way. It was unsettling how the suited man's eyes pierced into your very soul, how even just by holding eye contact his expression could make you feel naked; like all of your mind and body was exposed to the world. Before they could enter his office, Jack stopped and turned around to face the special agent. He dismissed him with a look foreign to Rae and invited the two others inside. 

"Rae, this is Doctor Hannibal Lecter," Jack gestured to the man in the suit. "Doctor Lecter, forensic analyst Israel Valentine."

Rae straightened her shoulders and presented her hand to shake. He swept up her hand and brought it to his lips and brushed a kiss against her knuckles, his beguiling hazel eyes never leaving her cinnamon ones. 

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Israel Valentine."


End file.
